How Many Feet Are Used to Drive an Automatic Car?

[McMorgan]

An automatic car is driven with one foot, where the right foot is frequently used, and the left foot remains idle. More considerations are as follows: 1. The brake pedal and accelerator pedal are very close to each other. Operating both pedals with two feet is very awkward, as the legs would be squeezed together uncomfortably. Moreover, the left foot is not as agile as the right foot, and braking requires precise force control, which the left foot cannot achieve as accurately as the right foot. 2. In all current automatic transmission models, there is a fixed, non-movable pedal added to the far left of the brake pedal, right next to the inner side of the left car body. This is designed for the left foot to rest on, meaning the left foot is in a completely relaxed state when driving an automatic car. The right foot controls both the accelerator and the brake pedal to ensure that the accelerator is not mistakenly pressed when braking. Therefore, an automatic car should be driven with one foot (the right foot) working, while the left foot remains completely relaxed and at rest.

[DelGraham]

During driving lessons, the instructor always emphasizes that with an automatic transmission, it's all about the right foot doing the work! The left foot should rest the whole time and not get involved. Place the ball of your right foot between the brake and accelerator, with the heel fixed as a pivot point. To accelerate, tilt your toes to the right to press the accelerator, and to decelerate, turn left to press the brake. Those used to manual transmissions often can't help but instinctively search for the clutch with their left foot at first. Once, I almost mistook the brake for the clutch, giving my friend in the passenger seat a cold sweat. Developing the habit of single-foot operation is especially crucial. In emergencies, the body reacts faster than the mind. If each foot controls a pedal, you might end up pressing both the accelerator and brake in panic, causing the car to lurch forward dangerously.

[TheoRose]

I've had my driver's license for ten years and have driven over a dozen automatic transmission models, always using my right foot to control the brake and accelerator. Out of curiosity, I once tried braking with my left foot, but the entire car started nodding, and the passenger's milk tea splashed onto the windshield. Keeping the right heel planted on the floor and pivoting the foot to switch between pedals is the most stable method. Some experienced drivers prefer shifting to neutral at red lights, but the right foot should still remain on the brake. Once, I saw a novice driver hovering their left foot over the brake during a long trip—after two hours, their leg was shaking like an electric shock. This habit is both tiring and unsafe. There's really no need to complicate driving an automatic transmission car.

[MadelynLee]

Automotive engineers have incorporated single-foot operation logic into their designs. The brake pedal is positioned higher and further to the left, requiring only 0.3 seconds for the right foot to move from the accelerator. With the elimination of the clutch, the left side of the driver's footwell has been transformed into a storage area or a footrest. Test data indicates that dual-foot operation increases the rate of pedal misapplication by 47%, and simultaneously pressing both pedals during emergency braking extends the stopping distance by 30%. The current single-pedal mode in electric vehicles is even more radical, integrating deceleration functionality into the accelerator. Regardless of the design, the core principle remains ensuring the right foot can always cover the brake zone during driving.